String-package.



No. 636,|o5 Patented ont. 3|, |899.

.1. E. BELLER,

STRING PACKAGE. (Application mea Aug. 1s, 1899.5 (No Model.)

@VMM

rn: cams neas co. worauma, wAsMmcToNA n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E.' BELLER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

sTRlNcpAcKAcE.

SPECIFICATION forming part-of' Letters Patent No. 636,105, dated October 31, 1899.

Application filed August 15,1899. Serial No. 727,318. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Beit known that L'JAMEs E. BELLER, of Washington city, in the District of Columbia, haveiuventedanew and useful Improvement in String-Packages, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in stringpackages, and particularly in packages of string rings, and has for an object to provide a form of package which will be compact and enable the convenient carriage, shipment, and storage of and from which the string rings may be removed one by one without displacing, entangling, or otherwise disarran ging the remaining rings of the package.

The invention consists, broadly, in a package composed of a plurality of independent and disconnected string rings, of which each ring partially overlies the preceding or adjacent one, so there is always an overlying or uppermost ring which can be lifted and removed without disarranging the remaining ones.

The invention consists, further, in certain features of construction and novel combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figurel is a side view of the preferred form of the improved package. Fig. 2 is a cross-section thereof'on about line 2 2 of Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is a detail View of one of the string rings.

String rings such as shown in Fig. 3 are used in great quantities, especially in some of the Government departments, as substitutes for rubber bands in` securing small packages of folded papers of approximately uniform size. Originally the cord was wrapped twice around the package and tied after being so wrapped, and later the string rings were tied in advance of applying them to the packages and then put in place. The rings when made in quantities in advance were massed indiscriminately in a bundle or bunch, so that in withdrawing one ring it would be so entangled with others as to bring forth numerous other rings, which would have to be disentangled and separated before the desired :ring could be separated for use. This difficulty caused considerable loss of time and labor, and the purpose of my invention is to avoid such difficulty and present a form of package from which the independent and disconnected string rings can be readily withdrawn one by one. This Iaccomplish by packingthe string rings in layers, each ring partially overlying the adjacent one, so there is always one ring which crowns the others and is free from any entangling connection with any other ring or rings, so said first ring can be removed for use and will when so removed expose another, which can be freely removed and will in turn expose another, and so on until the entire pile or package of string rings has been used.

In the accompanying illustration I have shown my invention embodied in a package in which the string rings are disposed in annular form, and this construction is preferred because of its convenience and compactness, as well as because of its adaptation for being easily secured for transportation or storage; but it should be understood that while I prefer the said annular form, as shown, I do not desire to be limited thereto in the broad features of my invention.

In Fig. 3 I show one of the string rings A composed of a suitable length of cord knotted together at B at its ends into endless form and doubled, forming a double ring, as clearly shown. The package shown in Figs. 2 and 3 is composed of a plurality of these rings arranged in succeeding layers, with each ring overlying the preceding or adjacent one, so the topmost ring of the package shown at C in Fig. 2 will crown the others of the package and will be free of any entangling connection with any other of the rings, so said crowning ring can be picked o alone and will expose the succeeding one, which can in turn be picked off, and so on until all the rings have been used.

As suggested above, it is preferred to eX'- tend the rings in a circular series, so they will form an annular pile, with the central opening D for the connecting-rod E, which extends beneath the base and top plates H H' and may be secured by a nut F or in other suitable manner. In producing the annular form of the pile I arrange the string rings in an ascending series of helical coils, forming an annular pile in which the succeeding rings overlie the preceding ones throughout.

In Fig. 1 I show the pile or package divided transversely into sections by disks or IOO sheets G, which are usually of suitable paper and are employed to mark the division between the rings formed from balls of cord. Thus when one ball of cord has been exhausted in forming the rings, which are laid, as before described, on the base Il, a disk G is applied, another ball of cord is exhausted and a second disk G applied, and so on until the desired height of package is attained.

In practice the rings can be removed with great facility, thus expediting the work of applying the rings to the papers it is desired to secure. The disks G are desirable, as they permit the operator to remove a section of rings from the complete package, so a number of operators can be supplied from the same packages.

It will be noticed that the overlying rings are eccentric to each other and to the annulus formed by the package.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A package composed of a plurality of independent and disconnected string rings arranged in succeeding layers, each ring partially overlying the adjacent one, substantially as set forth.

2. A package composed of a plurality of independent and disconnected string rings each partially overlying the preceding one and extending in a circular series forming an annular pile, substantially as set forth.

3. A package comprising a plurality of independent superposed string rings arranged in an ascending series of helical coils forming an annular pile of overlying string rings, and retaining devices for said annular pile, substantially as set forth.

4. A package composed of a plurality of independent and disconnected string rings arranged one upon the other and in the form of an annular pile, and retaining devices composed of end sections and a connection extending through the annular pile, substantially as set forth.

5. A package colnposed of a plurality of independent superposed string rings arranged in the form of an annulus, the rings being approximately uniform and of a diameter approximating the Width of the annulus that is to say the distance between the central opening and rim thereof substantially as set forth.

6. A package consisting of a number of superposed string rings arranged in annular form, each ring being eccentric with respect to the annulus formed by the body of rings, as set forth.

7. A package consisting of retaining end sections a connecting-rod holding said sections a plurality of superposed string rings between said end sections and separatingdisks dividing the body of rings into sections as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. i

JAMES E. BELLER.

Witnesses:

CLIFFORD U. SMITH, GEO. D. LANTEL. 

